Free Samoa

As we all know, Congress is preparing to raise the minimum wage. Controversy broke out this week when the first draft of the House Bill exempted American Samoa from the raise. Seems like the largest employer in American Samoa - Starkist Tuna -- (whose parent company is headquartered in San Francisco), did not want to pay Samoans any more than they already get. A few calls to Speaker Pelosi and its done.

Luckily the uproar -- most of which was on the net -- forced Congress to dump the exemption and American Samoa will be treated like every other state and territory.

In Pelosi's defense it appears American Samoa had been exempt from past minimum wage increases and so could argue that this one would constitute a shock to the system. (The current wage on the island in about $3.60). Furthermore, American Samoa's non voting rep (whose name I cannot spell or pronounce) pushed the exemption -- likely at the behest of his corporate masters.

If there was a case to exempt Samoa (and I am not sure there is) someone in Pelosi's office should have been front a center explaining that. Instead it looked like Madame Speaker was simply playing the same games as her predecessors. How can she not see that one coming.